The Andhra Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested a self-proclaimed godman in Jaggayyapeta town in Krishna district for allegedly attempting to rape a woman who approached him for help. The accused was identified as Bilal and the police said that he attempted to sexually assault the woman under the guise of holding a 'special prayer' at his 'treatment centre' which he operated in the town.
Speaking to reporters, the woman who filed the complaint, said that they approached the accused because her husband was not well. Claiming that a 'talisman' and a special prayer would solve the issue, he asked the woman to come back after a few days.
When the woman returned with her husband a few days later, she alleged that the accused locked her inside a room while claiming to perform a ritual and attempted to sexually assault her. The woman said that as she resisted, the accused backed off and asked her to call her husband into the room. She said that she immediately informed her family members about what took place and the accused was held.
The Jaggayyapeta police said that an attempt to rape case was booked under Section 376 read with 511 (Punishment for attempting to commit offences) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused. He was presented in front of a local court later and sent to judicial remand. They also suspect that there may be more victims and that he may have tried similar tactics with other women as well.
The police assured strict action against the accused. They said that that they would crack down on such fake godmen who were offering 'treatment' to various problems. They also appealed to people not to believe in superstition and stated that they would conduct awareness campaigns to educate people against believing in such practices.